Rugby World Cup vs FIFA World Cup: What are the differences?

Sadly, we’ve got another 12 months until the 2019 Rugby World Cup is upon us. Fortunately, if you are a fan of all sports, there’s the FIFA World Cup to get your teeth into this summer.

Russia is playing host to football’s biggest tournament for the first time, despite considerable protestations about the eastern European nation being allowed to do so. Just as the Rugby World Cup showcases the best rugby stars, the FIFA World Cup brings together the world’s best footballing nations for a month of high-class action. Of course, the different game codes are the main differences between the tournaments, but there are several other subtle differences that demonstrate the traditions and values of each code.

FIFA Adopts a More Inclusive Qualifying Process

The beauty of the FIFA World Cup is that even the most established footballing nations are at risk of being eliminated from the tournament in the qualification process. Only the host nation gets a bye into the World Cup finals, meaning the highest-ranked nations get exposed to many of the lower-ranked nations who see these countries as significant thorns in their respective qualifying groups. Unlike in football, the Rugby World Cup doesn’t give the smaller, developing nations that exposure. Rugby’s tiered qualification system means that the highest-ranked teams only have to battle it out among themselves to qualify, with the best of the rest joining them in the main event. Unfortunately, rugby does not give the developing nations enough opportunities to pit their wits against higher opposition and improve long-term.

Fewer Teams in the Rugby World Cup

The top 10 rugby nations are joined by another 10 qualifiers to make up a tournament of just 20 countries. By comparison, the FIFA World Cup has 32 entrants and there’s even been talk of them extending that number further in future tournaments. On the flip side, there have been murmurings about the Rugby World Cup even reducing its numbers further still to 16 to maintain its competitiveness. Without a doubt, the tiered qualification process has meant that there is an increased disparity between the haves and have-nots in the world of rugby than in football.

Different Offline and Online Advertising Campaigns

Another area in which the Rugby World Cup and FIFA World Cup differ is their advertising campaigns, as the two sports attract many different brands during the tournaments. The FIFA World Cup appeals more to brands that want to stand out as the best and focus firmly on the competition. The likes of Adidas and Nike feature prominently. And with the mounting excitement surrounding this summer’s 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, there are even one of the largest prize giveaways for football fans online, with the £100 Million Challenge on offer to anyone capable of correctly predicting the outcome of every match played at the tournament. Meanwhile, the Rugby World Cup and the essence of rugby is about working and standing together. Subsequently, brands and sponsors of the Rugby World Cup tend to be more all-inclusive, age-wise, with Land Rover one of the most prominent sponsors of the last finals.

What’s great about both tournaments is that they have their own audiences. The success of the FIFA World Cup does not mean the failure of the Rugby World Cup. They can both coexist and hopefully, inspire the next generation of fans and players alike.